Lake Travis has another state champion.

It’s the same guy as last time.

Cavalier senior and Maryland commit Chris Griffin blew away the competition in the boys’ 500-yard freestyle Saturday at the State Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Texas, notching a time of 4:33.73 – nine seconds faster than second place finisher Grant Koudelka from Gilmer.

“I loved it,” Griffin said. “It was a great meet all around. Honestly, I got a best time, and that’s always the goal, regardless of the outcome. That’s what it’s about, that’s what I did and I’m really happy with it.”

Griffin also took second in the boys’ 200-yard freestyle, coming up with a time of 1:40.74, which was just shy of the 1:39.81 time that won the event.
Griffin’s individual finishes weren’t the only highlights on the day, though.

Zach Hoffmann reached the medal stand in his final meet as a Cavalier, taking third in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.72. The winning time was 59.19, showing just how close the race was down the stretch.

To close out the day, the boys’ 400-yard freestyle relay team came from behind to get third place, earning a medal for senior Jonathon Chambers and Travis Bauer, as well as Hoffmann and Griffin.

The strong finish also helped push the boys’ team into fourth place overall, despite only entering five competitors into the meet.

Reid Elliott’s fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke contributed to the team’s cause, as well as a sixth-place finish by Elliott, Hoffmann, Bauer and Chambers in the boys’ 200-yard medley relay.

On the girls’ side Katie Grose took seventh in the 100-yard freestyle and Alex Bettridge finished fourth in the one-meter diving competition.

“I was just extremely pleased with everyone and what they did here,” Lake Travis head coach Darcy Smith said. “They always astound me with their efforts and how they place at meets like this. I knew our boys’ team was strong coming in after the regional performance they put together, and they didn’t disappoint me.”

It’s especially sweet for the three senior boys that Smith is saying goodbye to.

“These seniors were sophomores my very first year here,” she said. “It’s been really neat to watch them grow up and then see their senior year be so productive – it’s pretty awesome. Plus, they each got a medal. They were phenomenal for me and I’m so happy they got the results they did.”

The fourth place finish, in particular, will be feather in the program’s hat for years.

“It’s fantastic,” Smith said. “When we had the third place finish a couple years ago, that was what we considered one of our top teams. For these guys to nearly match that – what a great job.”